Brian, Your recipe worked like gangbusters. And it taught me a lot too. Thanks a lot!
k On Sun, Jul 6, 2014 at 7:40 AM, Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote: > On Sat 05 Jul 2014 at 17:56:43 -0400, Kynn Jones wrote: > > > On Sat, Jul 5, 2014 at 2:43 PM, Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote: > > > > > It can be done but not with a netinst image or CD-1. The method is > > > outlined in this thread. > > > > Thanks! It looks like something I could at least stick in a script. > > > > Searching for "initrd cpio preseed.cfg" I found this page, which spells > out > > the whole process in detail: > > > > https://wiki.debian.org/DebianInstaller/Preseed/EditIso > > I wasn't intending you alter the initrd, although you can do that if you > want. For a USB stick (no need to be root): > > 1. Plug in and use the last few lines of dmesg to find the device name. > Let's say it is /dev/sdc. > > 2. Make one partition large enough to hold grub's files (~10M) and a > netinst or CD-1 image with '/sbin/fdisk'. Put a filesystem on it with > mkfs.vfat from dosfstools. > > /sbin/mkfs.vfat /dev/sdc1 > > 3. Install pmount. Mount this partition: > > pmount sdc1 > > 4. Install grub on the stick: > > grub-install --boot-directory=/media/sdc1/boot /dev/sdc > > 5. Determine the UUID of /dev/sdc1: > > /sbin/blkid /dev/sdc1 > > 6. Download the hd-media vmlinuz and initrd.gz from > > > http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-i386/current/images/ > > and copy them to /boot. Copy your preseed file and a netinst or CD-1 > image to /. > > 7. Write a /boot/grub/grub.cfg like so: > > menuentry "Test preseed file" { > search --fs-uuid --set=root UUID > linux /boot/vmlinuz priority=high > file=/hd-media/preseed.cfg locale=en_GB.UTF-8 keymap=gb > initrd /boot/initrd.gz > } > > You choose "priority", "locale" and "keymap". I'd start with > "priority=low". > Add "shared/ask_device=manual" and "shared/enter_device=/dev/disk/UUID" > to the linux line after you are confident with what you have above. > > initrd.gz contains iso-scan. It searches for a Debian ISO on the stick. > When it finds it the partition the ISO is on is mounted on /hd-media. > preseed.cfg is on the same partition so that relieves you of the necessity > of mounting it by hand. > > > > Is "auto=true" an absolute requirement? Why? > > > > That's "cargo-cult" on my part, I confess. I don't quite understand why > > it's there, and was not able to find a sufficiently clear explanation of > > what it's supposed to do. I've basically kept it because it works. (I > > probably would have already tested whether I need it or not if it weren't > > because debugging the installation process is so slow.) > > https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/apbs01.html.en > > Delays locale and keymap questions (when locale and keymap are put in > preseed.cfg) until after network configuration takes place. Not needed > because the preseeding takes place from the linux line at the start of > the install. > > I'm not too sure there isn't a bug in the Wheezy installer which leads > to "keymap=gb" not being acted on with "auto=true". People with a "us" > keymap may not notice it because d-i defaults to a us keyboard anyway. > > I'll leave it to you to handle tranferring the USB stick contents to a > CD. :) > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact > listmas...@lists.debian.org > Archive: > https://lists.debian.org/20140706114000.ge27...@copernicus.demon.co.uk > >
